Gayle Gregory

The Motivated Brain: Improving Student Attention, Engagement, and Perseverance Gayle Gregory

Marc Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index. Jacket Description/Flap: What really motivates students to learn? What gets them interestedand keeps them interestedin pursuing knowledge and understanding? Recent neuroscientific findings have uncovered the source of our motivation to learn, or as neuroscientist Jaak Panksepp terms it, the drive to seek. Seeking is what gets us out of bed in the morning, the engine that powers our actions, and the need that manifests as curiosity. Informed by new findings on the nature of the brain's seeking system, internationally renowned educators Gayle Gregory and Martha Kaufeldt have identified key brain-friendly strategies for improving student motivation, knowledge acquisition, retention, and academic success. In this book, readers will learn [[The science behind the motivated brain and how it relates to student learning. [[Strategies for preparing a motivational environment and lesson. [[Strategies for creating engaging learning experiences that capitalize on the brain's natural ways of learning. [[Strategies for improving depth of knowledge, complex thinking, and synthesis to get students into the ever-desired state of flow. [[How attention to the neuroscience of motivation will improve the classroom environment and student learning. The Motivated Brain shows teachers how to harness the power of their students' intrinsic motivation to make learning fun, engaging, and meaningful. Publisher Marketing: What really motivates students to learn? What gets them interestedand keeps them interestedin pursuing knowledge and understanding? Recent neuroscientific findings have uncovered the source of our motivation to learn, or as neuroscientist Jaak Panksepp terms it, the drive to seek. Seeking is what gets us out of bed in the morning, the engine that powers our actions, and the need that manifests as curiosity.

Contributor Bio:  Gregory, Gayle Gayle Gregory has taught at the elementary, middle, and high school levels as well as in university settings. With extensive experience as a staff developer and administrator, she consults internationally on brain research, differentiation, best instructional and assessment practices, leadership, and how to facilitate school change. Gayle has worked with many districts developing school teams to build internal capacity. She is author of Designing Brain-Compatible Learning, Teacher Teams That Get Results, Think Big, Start Small: How to Differentiate Instruction in a Brain-Friendly Classroom, and a series on differentiated instructional strategies. In addition, she was featured in an edition of the Video Journal of Education focused on differentiated instruction. She is committed to lifelong learning and professional growth for herself and others. For learn more about Gayle's work, visit her at www.gaylehgregory.com. To book Gayle for professional development, contact pd@solution-tree.com. Contributor Bio:  Kaufeldt, Martha Martha Kaufeldt has been a classroom teacher for more than 20 years. Now an independent consultant, she works with school districts across the United States and Canada on developing brain-compatible teaching and learning strategies. She gives motivational presentations and dynamic workshops that address the fundamentals of brain-compatible learning theory and integrated curriculum for all grade levels. She lives in Santa Cruz, California.